Techniques Used for Studying Organizational Communication

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It is probably safe to state that communication is one of the most basic processes in organizations. Indeed, any type of cooperative enterprise would seem to require communication in some form, even if it is some type of nonverbal communication system. The task of studying the characteristics of real-life communication patterns, systems, procedures, etc., in any large-scale organization can be an exceedingly diffi­cult and complex task. There are a number of techniques which have been used for studying organizational communication—each with its own peculiar advantages and its own share of disadvantages.

1. “Living-In” Procedure:

As the name implies, the experimenter becomes an observer who actually joins and attempts to become part of the organization under study. He tries to establish himself as an accepted member of the group so that his presence will not be per­ceived as an “alien” outside influence which could itself have a biasing influence on the behaviour of the system under study. While the method has merit, it is obviously very time-consuming. Days, weeks, and even months may be required before the group members become adapted and at ease in the presence of the observer, and, therefore, begin to behave as if he were not there.

2. Indirect Analysis:

This method studies communication by using other, more easily observed measures as a base, and then inferring from them how much communication takes place between various organizational units. For example, one approach is simply to obtain measures (using logs or self-reports) of how much time various units spend with each other.

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If one then makes the assumption that those units which spend the most time together also communicate the most together, one can develop a picture of the communication structure of the organization. Unfortunately, these indirect measures provide little insight into the content of the information itself.

3. Duty Study:

In the duty study method, the experimenter or observer selects a particular spot or location in the network and stations himself there to observe all communications which flow past this particular point. In this method a great deal of information can be obtained about the content, quality, and quantity of information at any selected point, but one gets no information about the overall pattern of information flow in the organization.

4. Cross-Section Analysis:

Cross-section analysis is in a sense the opposite technique from duty study. This method, at a given moment in time, draws a sample of communications from points throughout the entire organization. Thus, at 10:15 a.m. the experimental team might walk into the situation and collect and/or record all communication taking place at that moment. By doing this a number of times at unexpected intervals, a random sample of communications may be obtained which would provide an overall picture of the communication pattern and also provide some indication of the type and content of information flow at each point in the system.

5. Ecco Analysis:

The term ECCO is an abbreviation for “episodic communication channels in organization.” This method was first proposed by Davis (1953). It is simple in that it focuses on a particular piece of information and watches it progress through­out the entire organization until it reaches its terminal point. The information can be experimentally inserted at any point and subsequently followed, or one can observe regular information units that are part of the daily routine. The advantage of this method is that not only does it provide information about the communication pattern, but it also gives information about time delays, points of blockage, etc.